Thoughts from Morihiko: "Considering the sheer physical and mental energy required to prepare and perform this glorious lineup of Russian blockbusters, I might need to double up my workout routine in the weeks leading up to this one. First, the professional musicians of the S.C. Phil will be joined onstage by the talented young musicians of the S.C. Phil Youth Orchestra to form a massive combined orchestra in Borodin's audience favorite, Polovtsian Dances. Our orchestra's 50th birthday bash would be incomplete without looking into the future, and what better way than collaborating with some of the finest pre-college musicians in this region. Several of our musicians are S.C. Phil Youth Orchestra alums, and I know that some of today's Youth Orchestra members will one day play in professional orchestras around the country, including ours.

Decades before John Williams' quintessential score to the Star Wars franchise and Howard Shore's beautiful soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Prokofiev wrote his sonic spectacular Alexander Nevsky for the 1938 Sergei Eisenstein epic about Prince Alexander's heroic defeat of the invading Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. Scored for a huge orchestra, chorus, and mezzo-soprano soloist, it is filled with vivid musical imagery and raw power. In fact, his cacophonous and soul-stirring ‘Battle on the Ice' movement remains one of the most powerful depictions of battle ever composed.

Rounding out this Russian program will be two works by Stravinsky. He wrote Symphonies of Wind Instruments as an homage to Debussy and described it as an ‘austere ritual' in sound. Though rooted in Russian folk music, Stravinsky's disjointed and collage-like sound-world here is similar to Picasso's Cubism. Ten years earlier, Stravinsky became an international sensation with his first score for Diaghilev's Ballet russes, The Firebird. From the sinister virtuosity of ‘Infernal Dance of King Kaschei' and the simple beauty of The Princess' Rondo to the overwhelming majesty of its Finale, this popular suite never fails to capture the imagination of all listeners young and old."

Music for a Cause In 2013/2014 the SCP again partners with seven local charities to raise money and awareness of their causes. Each charity is featured at a Masterworks concert. Our partner for "The Russian Soul" is: